Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced on Friday the 17th of January 2025 in a corruption case. The convictions threaten to derail talks between Khan’s PTI, and the government aimed at settling a long-running political feud.
Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to seven years in a case related to the misuse of authority and corruption involving Khan’s Al-Qadir University Project Trust. Khan was also given a fine of 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500), while Bibi was fined half that amount.
An accountability court operating from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023, had reserved its verdict in December last year and deferred the announcement three times. Bibi was arrested at the court premises.
Khan, who did not appear before the court on January 13 when the decision was delayed for a third time, had earlier claimed the delays were an attempt to “pressurize” him.
This marks the fourth major case in which the former prime minister has been convicted.
Three earlier convictions, announced in January last year, were related to selling state gifts, leaking state secrets, and unlawful marriage, all of which were overturned or suspended. Despite this, Khan remains behind bars, with dozens of cases pending against him – a situation he describes as a political witch-hunt.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was previously also arrested in connection with corruption involving the Al-Qadir University Trust, headed by the opposition leader and his wife Bushra Bibi, during a court appearance related to a separate case, in the capital Islamabad.
The Al-Qadir Trust was founded in 1996 by Imran Khan, who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022. He is the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a political party that advocates for social justice and economic development.
The case centers on accusations of corruption and abuse of authority in relation to a settlement which is said to have cost the national exchequer £190 million.
On 9 May 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from inside the High Court in Islamabad by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the charges of corruption in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust, which he owns alongside his wife Bushra Bibi. In response, PTI supporters and workers had begun to demonstrate against Khan’s arrest in a number of cities, including in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said in a statement that the former Prime Minister was arrested “for the crime of corruption” in the trust. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan confirmed that Khan, the leader of the main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was arrested in a case pursued by the anti-corruption body.
“Imran Khan did not appear despite the notices, NAB has arrested him for damaging the national treasury. No violence was done to them,” the interior minister said in a tweet. PTI leaders have denied the charges levelled by the interior minister, saying Khan had not been issued any arrest warrant. Akbar Nasir Khan, a top police official in Islamabad, told that NAB had issued an arrest warrant against Khan on May 1 in relation to the case.
As per sources, the Al-Qadir Trust case also known as the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam, is a legal case involving the Pakistani politician Imran Khan and Pakistani businessman Malik Riaz. The case centres on accusations of corruption and abuse of authority in relation to a settlement which is said to have cost the national exchequer £190 million. The case is under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau.
Property tycoon Malik Riaz had assets worth £190 million seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration. The assets would be transferred to the Pakistani government, according to the NCA. The agreement with the real estate tycoon was regarded as a civil matter and did not indicate guilt.
On 3 December 2019, then Prime Minister Imran Khan received approval from his cabinet for the settlement with the UK crime agency without revealing the specifics of the private accord. According to the arrangement, the money would be presented to the Supreme Court on Malik Riaz’s behalf.
In the weeks that followed the decision, Islamabad saw the founding of the Al-Qadir Trust. Members of the trust have been named as PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi, and her close friend Farah Khan. Malik Riaz allegedly gave up the land for the construction of an educational institution in exchange for legal protection for the monies he had.
The Al-Qadir Trust case was the subject of an investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which focused on claims of the abuse of authority in the process of retrieving monies from the UK crime agency. After significant evidence surfaced, the investigation subsequently developed into a full-fledged inquiry.
The case has implicated Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Barrister Shahzad Akbar, and Malik Riaz as suspects. Allegations against them include accepting unauthorized advantages in the form of land for the construction of Al-Qadir University, modifying cash supplied by the NCA to the Pakistani government, and allegedly providing legal protection for the money of the property tycoon.
Thus, on 9 May 2023, Rangers officers detained Imran Khan outside the Islamabad High Court, where he had gone to request bail in a number of cases brought against him, including the Al-Qadir Trust case. On 11 May, though, the Supreme Court ruled that his arrest was unlawful and ordered his release.
Imran Khan was granted interim release by the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case for a period of two weeks, and the court also prohibited arresting him in any other case until 15 May. Imran Khan was then arrested by NAB On 13 November 2023 in the case. Bushra was also interrogated and in the case. On 1 December 2023 NAB files the reference in Accountability court against them and both they were indicted on 27 February 2024. These all details are as per inputs from various news agencies.
More from Pakistan
- When India’s National Anthem Echoed at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium…
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was left embarrassed when Indian Anthem… Read more: When India’s National Anthem Echoed at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium… - 10 People Died in a Bomb Blast in Southwest Pakistan
A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying coal miners in… Read more: 10 People Died in a Bomb Blast in Southwest Pakistan - Meta CEO Zuckerberg Was Almost Sentenced to Death in Pakistan, Reveals on Joe Rogan Podcast
Meta’s CEO mentioned on the Joe Rogan Podcast that he… Read more: Meta CEO Zuckerberg Was Almost Sentenced to Death in Pakistan, Reveals on Joe Rogan Podcast - Pakistan Secures $1.2 Billion Oil Payment Deferral from Saudi Arabia
In a major financial relief ahead of its upcoming review… Read more: Pakistan Secures $1.2 Billion Oil Payment Deferral from Saudi Arabia - Year of Reforms 2025: Two-Front War on the Horizon for India
According to the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment released on February… Read more: Year of Reforms 2025: Two-Front War on the Horizon for India - After Bangladesh, US Suspends Aid to Pakistan
In a major blow to the debt-ridden Pakistan, the United… Read more: After Bangladesh, US Suspends Aid to Pakistan
Educationist/Administrator/Editor/Author/Speaker
Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
Comments